Category: Marine

A map showing part of the Gulf of Maine's watershed.

Working Waterfront

The Gulf of Maine, 30 years out

By Catherine Schmitt Animated maps show currents flowing in, around, and out of the Gulf of Maine, this sea within a sea, a counterclockwise gyre from the edge of vanishing Arctic ice, in and around to the clenched fist of Cape Cod, and then out. As the currents churn like… SEE MORE
Eastport celebrates the Fourth of July.

Working Waterfront

2019 was Eastport’s ‘year of pulp’

By Tom Walsh It’s been nearly 40 years since Eastport’s then new, deepwater-import/export terminal opened for business. In 1981, the cargo vessel MV Ravenswood set out from Downeast Maine to Montrose, Scotland, loaded with kraft wood pulp from what was then the Georgia-Pacific mill just off Route 1 in the… SEE MORE
An aerial view of the West Branch of the Pleasant River. PAn aerial view of the West Branch of the Pleasant River.

Working Waterfront

Taking stock of a Downeast river

By Jon Keller Five degrees above zero and the wind peels northwest. Sky and river both black dark. Headlights shine in the small parking lot. The wind howls, rocks the truck. Out there in the headlight shine lies a slick mud bank and a river of churning brown water. Bobby… SEE MORE
Harvesting mussels.

Working Waterfront

Can our communities be marine-friendly?

By Craig Olson You’ve heard it many times, but it bears repeating: “Change is the only constant.” For Maine’s coastal economy, that statement couldn’t be more appropriate. For those who work on the water or rely on marine-based businesses, shifts in ocean use, diminishing fisheries, and access to steady supplies… SEE MORE
Ivy Frignoca

Working Waterfront

Casco Bay temperature data details warming

Mike Doan, research associate with the Friends of Casco Bay, is often asked, “What were the highest and the lowest water temperatures this year?” Thanks to the organization’s continuous monitoring station, Doan is able to share those with confidence. He can describe water conditions in the bay on an hourly,… SEE MORE
Black crowberry on the Schoodic Peninsula.

Working Waterfront

Finding refuge from climate change on the Maine coast

By Catherine Schmitt On the rocky headlands of the Schoodic Peninsula, the narrow ledges between the edge of the spruce forest and tide-scraped granite are carpeted in black crowberry, an evergreen shrub with tiny purplish flowers and dark fruits. Crowberry grows in less than 1 percent of the state, but… SEE MORE
The pier at Old Orchard Beach.

Working Waterfront

Cumberland, York county towns tangle with FEMA

By Jacqueline Weaver Rising sea levels and their impact on flood insurance rates are becoming a contentious and anxiety-provoking issue for Maine coastal towns. Flood maps drafted by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) reflecting the predicted higher seas have been disputed by coastal communities in York and Cumberland counties… SEE MORE